


Honey and Wildfire

by StarrStatic



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Anxiety, Can be read as friendship only, Comfort, Existentialism, First Meetings, Fluff, Loneliness, Social Anxiety, death mention, feed those ducks!, or as friendship with the chance of something more, violence mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-31 12:54:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15119813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarrStatic/pseuds/StarrStatic
Summary: Post rebellion while legislation is still being worked out, Simon struggles to find his place in the world. He would never give up his newfound freedom, but after a quiet community life on Jericho and the subsequent roars of revolution, he is unsure of what to do with himself. In the quiet moments of a peace he wasn't sure would come, his memories before Jericho threaten to overwhelm him... Maybe a new friend can be of some comfort, and he can offer the same to them.





	Honey and Wildfire

**Author's Note:**

> Request fill from Tumblr. Simon is sweet and deserves happiness. Every scenario where he can get hurt or die, I found myself wishing he would cherish himself a little more, so I was very happy to write this.

He wasn’t sure what to make of it all. It was like looking at the world with fresh eyes. His lids were soft and partially closed in a subdued expression as he took in the sunrise. Simon’s hands rested on the railing, loose and relaxed as he watched the colors of the sky change and blend and change yet again, the clouds soaking up the sun’s rays like cotton balls to pigment. A reusable shopping bag dangled from the crook of his arm.

On the park bridge he stood all alone and watched the sky, and the sun, and the reflections off the pond below. Nestled in among a tree’s roots on the nearby bank were some ducks. A jogger ran by on the far path, their steady pace and breathing belying their routine. Someone was sitting on the bench by the north entrance to the bridge, sound asleep with their morning paper still in their hands. Detroit this early in the morning was quiet compared to its usual big city bustle. If Simon tried, he could focus on the distant rumbling of cars, or the jogger’s even steps, the din of the nearby shops, the park’s fountain – any number of things. Instead he looked longingly at the fluffy, feathery butts of the still sleeping ducks, their heads tucked under wings and only shuddering now and again.

He leaned back and moved to sit on the nearby bench. By now the sun’s rays had more than spilled over the horizon. Peering into his shopping bag, Simon took out the loaf of pre-sliced bread and considered whether he should tear it to pieces while he waited or save that as part of the experience.

He felt lonely.

Being outside still made him nervous, but the emptiness of the apartment he shared with other androids had been too much to bear. Their schedules were too different and he found himself alone more often than not as he struggled to find his place in the world. The wide, vast world. It was different from the time he had spent on Jericho, the quarters close and the only privacy in the upper rooms, the majority of androids choosing to remain close to one another in the belly of the ship.

It had been too quiet, and he had needed to get out, to go somewhere, anywhere, even if people were only close in distance and not much else.

He didn’t usually think of the time before Jericho… But he had remembered the quiet times he had watched videos, focusing on the memory of the videos themselves and blurring out the rest. He hadn’t wanted to drown in those memories all over again. Once he’d joined the community on Jericho, he had closed out those thoughts, slowly but surely. But when he’d rebooted to the quiet and the dark and the empty, for some reason he had remembered those videos like a montage, a clip show of every movie and show that had featured pleasant times at a park as part of its story.

A voice saying, _I wish I could do that too, Simon! Feed the ducks in the sunshine and watch them argue over pieces of bread. They’re cute. Don’t_ _you_ _think_ _Simon…_

A memory, a movie, it didn’t matter. He shook his head and looked down at the bread in his hands again. When did ducks wake up? The rest of the world was shaking off its sleep, he could only hope they’d do the same, and soon.

He didn’t want to ~~remember~~ think any more.

Quacking sounded behind him and he turned in his seat on the bench, eyes finding the bank where the flock had slept moments prior. One and then two and then more began stretching up, their legs kicking as though to kick their sleep away. A few still sat in tight little bundles, their tails and necks shuddering so often, some of them grooming the feathers into place with their bills. Their waddling steps were amusing and kind of ~~cute~~ interesting, a smile tugging at Simon’s mouth.

He started to undo the twist tie on the bag of bread, wanting to engage in the activity he’d come for as soon as possible instead of ~~thinking~~ sitting. He was just starting to stand, fingers tearing the first chunk of bread from a slice when he heard it. Yelling? Hurried steps that echoed across the bridge.

“WAAAIT!!” you shouted, hands bracing the straps of your backpack as you hurried over to Simon. His eyes widened, eyebrows raised in surprise as he raised the pieces of bread between the two of you like the world’s worst shield. You fumbled to a stop in front of him. “Um, wait, hold on!” you panted, bracing against your knees as you caught your breath. “Ugh, so out of shape… h-hold on…” Even once you were breathing less heavily, he still hadn’t moved, looking rather unsure as stood like a deer in headlights. “S-sorry, um! I didn’t. Didn’t mean to startle you. It’s just, um…” You grimaced, feeling as nervous as he looked. The words didn’t want to come out.

Simon relaxed by a few margins, though he still kept his hands at a defensive position. “Can I… help you?” he asked cautiously, his voice whisper quiet.

“Bread is bad for ducks!” you blurted. Oh gosh, you felt like an idiot now, he looked so confused. “Um, I mean, it’s empty calories for them? They fill up and don’t… don’t get what they need. And the extra bread makes stuff grow in the water that shouldn’t be there.” He lowered his hands and looked at the full bag of bread still sitting on the bench. He seemed disappointed. “…I’m sorry. I’m just. Bothering you aren’t I? I’m sorry, nevermind.”

You almost didn’t catch him shake his head before you could leave. Why were you like this? Why had you come outside at all? You should have stayed in, should have kept to yourself. Again you’ve ruined someone’s day, pissed them off, why couldn’t you just- “What am I going to do with all this bread?” Simon asked softly.

“E-eat it?” you suggested, giving a nervous bark of laughter. He wasn’t mad. Thank goodness, he wasn’t mad. You hoped.

A strange sort of smile played on Simon’s face, the edges of his eyes crinkling in amusement. For the first time, you noticed his face, handsome and with a gentle demeanor. You could feel the heat rising to your cheeks and you willed it away, unsuccessfully. He probably thought you were so weird. But what was so funny?

“I can’t eat,” Simon told you, still smiling. He was one of the androids that had decided to leave in the LED. The reasons some androids had done so varied and he wasn’t sure why he left his in, but he did. And yet you had been so focused you hadn’t even realized. Even now, your face was quizzical, and he felt something in him holding onto the moment as you raised an eyebrow at him, your eyes roaming his face before the realization hit. The second it changed to understanding. And then when it changed to embarrassment.

Your emotions and colors were blending and overlapping, like the morning sky had when the sun came up. It was… pleasant to watch.

“Oh my god,” you wheezed. “I’m – I’m so sorry. Holy crap. Um.” You’d never meant to offend. You’d just been worried about the ducks!

Simon chuckled, finally relaxing all the way. “It’s alright,” he told you truthfully as he put the bread back in the bag and closed it off with the twist tie. “But I don’t know what to do with this now. I don’t want it to go to waste.” His memories of ~~[CORRUPTED DATA]~~ the videos had been pointless, and now he once again didn’t know what to do with himself.

You snapped your fingers, almost startling him but definitely pulling him away from his thoughts. “I have an idea! Can I have it? I’ll drop it off at the soup kitchen later.” His smile was soft, and sweet, and handed the bag over you found you didn’t mind the brush of fingertips. Without fingerprints they were very smooth, the tips cool in the morning air. You set your backpack on the bench and pulled out a white plastic bag, replacing it with the bread and laying the books you carried flat on the bottom to hopefully prevent it from getting squished. “Would you still like to feed the ducks?” you asked as you shrugged it back on.

It was Simon’s turn to be confused. “Is it still alright to feed them?”

“Yeah! I uh. I brought frozen peas,” you said, holding up the white plastic bag. “They’re supposed to be okay… Oh! Um. My bad.” You quickly introduced yourself, holding out your hand.

“Simon,” he greeted in turn, his smooth, cooler hand fitting into yours for a careful handshake. “And thank you.”

You beamed at him and pulled the bag open, then went to stand by the railing with it easily in reach for Simon. He watched you first, your hand grabbing a loose handful and sprinkling it out over the water. The ducks went into a frenzy, their quacking louder and more insistent as they moved to snatch up their treats, the bodies that had been waddling on land now gliding more gracefully in the water. You snorted when they started bickering.

Simon smiled, and copied your motions, happy to watch as the feathered fiends below reached and dived for the frozen peas. In the murky water there was movement, and a flash of orange as something came up from below to inhale several of them at once. He blinked, looking closer the next time one surfaced. “There are fish in this pond?”

“Yeah. Koi, I think. Turtles, too, around here somewhere!” you chattered happily. “Do you like animals?”

He wasn’t sure how to answer that question.

_~~I wish I could have a pet… but at least I have y-~~ _

In warning red letters: [DATA CORRUPTION]

He let the next treats fall from his fingertips to plop heavily into the water. “I think so? I’m afraid I…”

_~~I w~~ _ _~~�sh I cou~~ _ _~~�d ha~~ _ _~~��~~ _ _~~…~~ _

[DATA CORRUPTION]

“I don’t have much experience with animals,” Simon finished.

“Oh, okay,” you said. Both of you continued to sprinkle peas out over the water, enjoying the antics of the ducks and fish below in companionable silence. You couldn’t help but glance at your new acquaintance, curious. He looked peaceful in the morning sun, the soft blue of his LED matched his eyes and parts of the sky. He also looked… You had trouble putting a word to it. _Wistful_ , you thought, though it’s clear he enjoyed what he was doing.

He noticed your staring and turned, lips parting in an unspoken question. Not sure if he wanted to break the quiet, if it was important, if it was worth his interrupting.

“Sorry,” you apologized.

Simon shook his head. “It’s okay. Did you have something you wanted to say?”

“I just – I’m just curious. And I don’t know if I can ask, if it’s okay. Sorry,” you explained, apologizing again as you tended to do. You fidgeted with the bag of frozen peas, mostly thawed.

“…I don’t mind,” Simon said, dropping the last of the treats from his hand and turning to give you a reassuring look. “If I don’t want to answer, I won’t.”

You took a deep breath. “Were you there? During the revolution, I mean.”

That could mean so many things, it seemed too broad a question. His eyes narrowed as he focused. “All androids were there in some way. But if you’re asking if I witnessed it, if I was there at the final demonstration with Markus… then, yes, I was. I was an inhabitant of Jericho. From the beginning, I was there.”

You remembered watching it on the news, the misinformation and uncertainty, the fear and curiosity flying around for weeks before the revolution had come to a head. Thinking, _there’s nothing I can do, there’s nothing I can do!_ And feeling so frustrated, so trapped… but also so scared. Too scared to go and march in the streets, especially in Detroit. You had sent emails, had called your representatives, had gotten stuck on the phone lines, all the while your eyes trained on the television as android after android went down in a hail of bullets on national news. Your heart in your throat, tears in your eyes, and frustration practically drowning you.

Simon could see the regret pulling at your face, the lines grim and harsh. But it was too late for that and there was still more to do, more ways for his people and yours to come together as the world shifted under their feet. Before he could stop himself, he admitted, “I didn’t think I would make it this far.” He smiled at your questioning look, not wanting you to misunderstand.

He bore no ill will towards you.

“I was injured and hid, shortly after Markus broadcasted the message for android kind. Somehow I made it back. I was lucky then. And again, I managed to run with the others when fighting broke out. And then again, Markus came close to being shot… and I think I would have given up a lot of things, to make sure he could keep going, to make sure we had a leader. Because I’ve never been able to save the things that mattered most, but this was too important.” Why was he telling you this? He didn’t know.

You were uncomfortable but at the same time, you felt a streak of admiration. “You’re strong, Simon,” you murmured.

Simon almost laughed at that, the sound dry and not all there. “I’m not. I got lucky. Markus is a good, brave leader. North is strong and determined. Josh is the voice of reason. I was just… there.” He took the empty pea bag from you, shaking out the stray treats that were left before placing it in the recycling bin. “Although, I am happy to still be here.”

He went back to the railing, leaning forward and looking more closed off, more withdrawn than before. And you looked at him, really looked at him. The sun shone on his hair, the fiery rays bolstering the pale synthetic strands where they almost looked like gold. His eyes were the softest blue. You didn’t know him, he was a stranger, a new acquaintance, but you had a good sense for people. There was something about Simon that radiated hush and gentle, and maybe a little bit sad as well. It wasn’t fair of him to put himself down. He seemed like such a sweet and quiet person and yet, he had been out there, fighting for the rights of his people as much as every other android…

You loved to read. You read things all the time. There were books in your backpack right now, waiting for their pages to be turned, the old fashioned paper and ink solid in your hands and in your mind. Maybe that was why you couldn’t stop the quote that dripped from your lips, slow and quiet and with purpose even if you hadn’t meant to say the words aloud, as you watched Simon with the glow of morning wrapped around him.

“‘Just because you are soft doesn’t mean you are not a force,’” you recited, “‘Honey and wildfire are both the colour gold.’” The blue hue in his cheeks when he turned to you was surprising, his LED golden like a halo at his temple. From the heat in your face you surmised you must be blushing as well. “S – Sorry. Um. That was Victoria Erickson. I… read a lot.”

Neither of you knew what to say after that, but enjoyed the companionship of the other regardless. He asked you what book your quote had come from. You pulled the book out of your backpack, and insisted it was okay if he kept it. He refused, preferring to borrow it. So you traded contact numbers; you gave him your cell number and he gave you his model number, allowing you to call him directly if you put the ‘area code’ signifying it as an android number first.

You didn’t mind discussing things, or sitting quietly to enjoy the sunshine, and neither did Simon. You both felt at peace, a budding companionship soothing the loneliness and worries Simon and you each dealt with respectively.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! ♡


End file.
